How It Works

Solar Panels collect sunlight that in turn heats up fluid carried in pipes underneath a glass surface.

These tubes or panels carry the heated liquid into your hot water cylinder through an element that then heats up your hot water.

All solar systems require a solar heating cylinder which is a twin coil cylinder or thermal store. This will replace your old cylinder and work alongside your normal boiler. The solar panels heat up the bottom of the solar cylinder, the boiler heats up the top.

Your solar heating system is rarely independent, and can connect to your other heating systems and boilers.

Benefits and Costs

Solar thermal water heating is one of the most cost effective renewable energy systems.

In Ireland Dimplex solar thermal systems can provide up to 70% of your hot water needs.

Dimplex offer a wide range of solar hot water products and pre-prepared kits offering great value for money.

Typical Costs and Payback

For Solar heating systems it is difficult to give an exact figure as all houses vary. Often with heating and hotwater systems the efficiency of the house can be a factor itself. Generally you can expect a payback of between 12 and 15 years from a solar heating system that should last 25 years.

One comforting fact is that Solar Thermal technology has been used for over 30 years and is one of the most reliable and proven of them all.

Solar Thermal Critical Checklist

Before you can consider Solar Thermal you should check the following:

• Do you know what sort of boiler you have i.e. is it a combination boiler (no tank) or a system boiler (has a tank). Solar Thermal is best installed with a system boiler because it uses a tank and only a few brands of combi boiler can be adapted to work with solar.
• Do you have a South, South-east or South-west facing roof?

When you contact Dimpco or our nationwide network of installers we will need to know these facts along with other details in order to give you a guide to feasibility and cost and get your solar thermal project started.

Large Scale Solar Thermal Hot Water Systems

If you are a large domestic property, have a swimming pool or a commercial property you may need to consider a larger scale solar thermal hot water system.

Contact our sales team directly for large-scale solar hot water systems information

Can Solar Thermal Help With Heating?

We would not advise heating radiators with solar thermal as they are not capable of producing enough heat to keep up with the rapid pace radiators lose heat.

For heating we would generally advise combining solar-thermal with an Xpelair mechanical heat recovery ventilation system or a Dimplex air or ground source heat pump.

What To Do Next

1. Grants are available for our solar thermal heating systems, so check out the Grants Available page for more details and to see if you can qualify for funding.
2. Contact us directly and talk to one of our specialist project engineers
3. Alternatively visit our Approved Stockists/Installers section and quickly find a representative in your area who will provide expert advice about our products and to organise a site survey.
4. Why do I need a site survey and what’s involved? Don’t worry, this is not a selling exercise, it is a technical site visit designed to give you an accurate quote.

Our approved installer will visit your site and:

• Measure your pipework, roof space, hot water cylinder and loft space.
• Check the orientation of your roof and suitability for solar panel installation.
• Explain how the system could work in your home and a guideline cost.
• It can take as little as 30minutes depending on how many questions you have.